CLEVELAND — A community’s peace has been robbed, and now neighbors are calling for something to be done after finding piles of shattered car window glass across different spots on Battery Park Boulevard in Cleveland.
“There definitely needs to be some more security,” said Shannon Olear, a Cleveland resident.
Sunny days in late March call for dog walking and even some running in Olear’s community, but as the temperatures warm up, she said it invites other not-so-welcoming activities like apparent car break-ins.
According to social media posts News 5 saw online, it appeared the crime happened early Wednesday morning, and one of the hardest hit areas was Battery Park Boulevard.
“I feel that as long as I have a garage that I want to be in the garage. The one other concern I always see is when people, other neighbors, are not closing their garages at night. That concerns me too,” said Olear.
Olear said she has seen an increased security presence from Battery Park Lofts.
But she and Cleveland resident Ricky Malone told News 5 that more is still needed.
“I do still feel safe but now there is that moment of hesitation I guess at night when you’re walking around. Wasn’t looking over my shoulders much, now maybe I am,” Malone said.
I asked Malone: What do you want to see done?
“I’ve always said you can’t complain unless you have a solution. I don’t know what the solution is, if it’s more patrol or a specific neighborhood security guard,” said Malone.
Back in October and November 2024, News 5 reported extensively on car break-ins and thefts in communities like Ohio City and Tremont.
RELATED: AGAIN?! MORE cars broken into in Ohio City overnight
Since then, Councilwoman Jenny Spencer emailed News 5 on Wednesday saying her office, along with Cleveland Police District 2 and Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, are having conversations on vehicle crime and safety, which she said they had earlier this month.
Some of the topics they addressed included sharing best practices for keeping personal property safe, updates on initiatives to reduce crime and new programs to rehabilitate youth and reduce recidivism.
“I think tighter control and patrol would be nice. Maybe a little more reassuring and I hope it doesn’t escalate to anything more than car break-ins,” said Malone.
We reached out to Cleveland Police, and they have yet to respond back to our request.
Stay with us for the latest updates.
